Filipino rebels kidnap Avon sales team

Eight people selling Avon cosmetics door-to-door on the southern Philippines island of Jolo, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, have become the rebels' latest victims.

The five women and three men, all Filipinos, were kidnapped on Tuesday while travelling on a minibus through the village of Darayan, on the outskirts of Patikul town.

Gunmen stopped the vehicle and herded the sales representatives into a forest, a military spokesman said. Avon cosmetics were found scattered at the scene. Two of the men were released yesterday, but the rest of the group were still being held.

Abu Sayyaf, a separatist Muslim organisation that has been linked to al-Qa'ida, has seized many host-ages but these are the first since American troops joined a crackdown six months ago.

The purpose of the kidnap was not clear. Abu Sayyaf often demands ransoms, but has also abducted poor Filipinos to serve as slave labour. Some have been released, but more than a dozen have been killed in the past year.

Esmon Suhuri, vice-mayor of Patikul, said he had warned the salespeople to avoid the area. The Philippine army was searching for the hostages yesterday and shelling suspected rebel hide-outs.